Orval

Brewed by Brasserie dOrval
Style: Belgian Ale
Florenville - Villers-d.-Orval, Belgium

Serve in Trappist glass, Tulip, Tumbler

Love the bottle. Poured into wine glass. Creamy head that lasts through the last drop. Aroma is subtle but fresh. Tastes of fruit, citrus, and biscuits and the hops give a great balance on the finish. A great Trappist ale.

Aroma: Gorgeous floral, fresh grass, yeasty and earthy, rich malt and candy sugar. Palate: Flavor: Distinctly earthy, bisquity, a little tart grapefruit, toasted, dry caramel. These flavors sail on into the dry finish. A firm, sharp bitterness supports the flavors. Comments: The flavors and mouth feel is drier than the sweet nose suggests. The palate is also deceptive as the full, rustic flavors are carried on a relatively light-medium bodied ale. A great choice for a staple beer--one to always have on hand for yourself or company. Day two tasting (recapped and refridgerated immediately after initial pour). Aroma: Rich, roasted caramelly malt, floral, yeasty and candy sugar notes. Flavor: Orange, caramel, yeasty biscuit, with underlying green apple tartness. The finish transistions from caramel to burnt grain. Comments: This held up well and evolved. As with wine, this is a sign of a sturdy, well-made drink.

Talk about hype, this seems to be the goto belgian beer that guys that don’t drink a lot, love saying it’s one of their fav’s. I’ve had this before, but never reviewed it, so this is what I got. A: Deep amber color, thick off white head. S: Big tart and tangy, with some funky notes on the end. T: Big bitterness, balanced with some dank musty flavors in the mix. M: Big bubbly carbonation, i guess typical of the style. D: Style benchmark, and this is a very good beer, but overall not an everyday belgian pale.

Bottle. Aged and "new". Stellar brew, my first and favorite of the Trappist. The aged deeps and mellows with an intricate blending of the spices and the malt.. Deep Amber-honey with a fruity tan head. I am very happy the princess lost her ring.. good fish!

Slightly hazy amber color with some small bubbles emerging, reminding me of champagne. Big sustaining cream colored head. Aroma is very complex with a lot of herbal notes like lavender, juniper berries, thyme, peppercorn and spearmint but I also pick up hay, raisins and orange peel. Taste is tart with green apples, juniper berries, yeast and spearmint. After a while I sense some citrus notes that I guess comes from dry hopping. Again, the small bubbles on your palate is reminiscent of the sensation you get from champagne. Never had a beer that taste just like this one...so quite original.

Bottle. Poured an amber color with a huge white head. Aroma was biscuits, bread, rasin, and dried fruits. Flavor was dough, fruitsm and malts. Medium body. A great beer.

4 months old bottle. Pours dark orange with a big creamy head. Aroma is bitterness from the hops, oranges, spicy and yeast. Taste is again bitter (floral), very thirst quenching and perfectly balanced out by some malty sweetness. Medium bodied and pleasant soft carbonation round off this great beer that is the ultimate brew for a hot day on a sunny terrace.

In my opinion, this is the less favorable trappist. The taste is nothing special and more bitter than the other trappists. After one gulp, you won’t have the need to drink again.